I was incredibly disappointed as we got onto the F heading into Brooklyn to find that we’d forgotten the camera. An afternoon outing to Stinky Brooklyn with no camera to document the goods? Travesty. Well, it turns out Stinky Brooklyn is more or less a copy of the condiment section of Zingerman’s with more “talk,” much less “know,” a couple of hooves, and some sleepy cheeses.

The store is small, and on a Sunday afternoon it’s packed and ablaze with buzzwords like “sustainable” and “artisan.” Stinky Brooklyn is located in that gray real estate area of Cobble Hill/Carroll Gardens on the ever-expanding Smith Street. Down the street is one of the few Brooklyn restaurants graced with Bruni’s presence, The Grocery. More to my taste is Bar Great Harry, a little pub across the street with a constantly changing roster of drafts. We got a seriously yummy Aventinus. Seriously. Staff is friendly and knowledgeable too.

At first glance in the shop, Stinky definitely has no problem ripping pages directly out of Zingerman’s. Proudly displayed in the bookshelf at the front of the store is the Guide to Good Eating amidst the cheese books the staff clearly hasn’t noticed. Among them are Cheese Primer, The Cheese Room, The New American Cheese, The Atlas of American Artisan Cheese. Got it. American cheese. But this store is not strictly toting American wares, made clear by the predominantly Italian selection.

Walking around it’s obvious there is a good selection of pickles (Rick’s Picks, McClure’s), mustard (Colmans, School House Kitchen), jams, pastas, beans, chips (Tyrrels), chocolates (Taza), candies (Fudge is My Life, Caramels au Buerre Sale), and some decent vinegars and olive oils. The products are predominantly European, some US or Brooklyn, and a select few from South America. Most of the them can be purchased online directly from the source. However, the duck fat and pigs leg would necessitate a trip to the store.

Now, of the alleged “stinky” cheese. Sadly, while the pungent stank of cheesiness wafted as we entered, it’s not worth the trip. The store has many classic cheeses, but they’re not excellent specimens, and there doesn’t seem to be a greater cheese vision going on here. I believe there were two washed rinds: a seriously mild Taleggio and a waxy Tomme du Berger. There was also a couple goat buttons, a cheddary Tumbleweed, Spain’s sheep Manchego, Idiazabal, and Zamorano, Switzerland’s Hoch Ybrig, a couple of blues including a Bayley Hazen, the ever present Pleasant Ridge Reserve, and the British Montgomery’s. Then there’s a cooling case of Salvatore ricotta and a couple Vermont Butter and Cream items.

The only interesting one we tasted was a maple-y Gouda with fenugreek. Seriously, an interesting Gouda with some seeds in it? Sure, go tame on the cheese. The recent artisan trade in Brooklyn is more about the accoutrements anyway. Just make sure you don’t name your establishment something like, say, “Stinky Cheese.” Oh, wait, you did?

Mostly, it seems, New York cheese shops are going the way of the mustard. Condiments, candies, and cold cuts dominate the scene and mostly overpower the cheese. I won’t put all the blame on Stinky’s. Is this a trend, New York, or are we still reeling over the jacked tariff for Roquefort? I am all for more fine specialty shops in New York, but let’s try not to totally upstage the cheese, mkay?